Aligning for College Affordability in New York: Reflections from Our First Statewide Advocate Convening

In December 2025, The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), in partnership with Young Invincibles and uAspire, hosted our first forum for advocates working on student-centered higher education policy in New York State. Held in New York City, the convening brought together leaders from across the state who are committed to advancing policies that make earning a high-quality postsecondary degree or credential more affordable, accessible, and equitable for students. 

Since 2005, TICAS has driven data-informed, student-centered policy change. A critical component of that success is building relationships and bringing stakeholders together around shared priorities, including college access and completion; strong accountability; preventing fraud and abuse; and advancing economic and racial equity. Affordability is fundamental to TICAS’s vision of building an education system where students can successfully complete a postsecondary credential that leads to economic mobility without burdensome debt.  

In today’s rapidly changing political climate, state-level leadership is more important than ever. Since launching our New York work in 2024, TICAS has been engaging higher education advocates across the state to better understand the landscape, identify shared goals, and contribute our research and expertise to the collective effort on behalf of students—especially those most adversely impacted by systemic inequities. 

Space for Connection, Learning, and Allyship

TICAS invited more than 30 organizations to take part in the convening and representatives from over 20 of them were present. Participants reflected a wide range of expertise, including college access, affordability, basic needs, accountability, student protections, and student debt and repayment. 

The forum was grounded in three core goals: 

1. Connection to create space for advocates to meet and build relationships.
2. Learning to better understand one another’s work and policy priorities.
3. Allyship to identify areas of alignment and opportunities for future collaboration. 

We began the day with organizational and individual introductions, followed by a federal policy landscape overview from TICAS Vice President Tanya I. Garcia. Kirsten Keefe, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy for New York at TICAS, provided a state policy update, and Sean Miller, Northeast Regional Director at Young Invincibles, shared a timely New York City update—particularly relevant given the recent election of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and since the majority of attendees live and work in New York City. 

Ahead of the convening, TICAS asked participants to share three issues they are focusing on in the coming year. Their responses shaped two rounds of exchange circles, where attendees learned from one another about key topics including access, affordability, basic needs, college completion, accountability, and student debt. 

Following report-backs, the group engaged in a robust discussion about the existing higher education advocacy infrastructure in New York—coalitions, working groups, advocacy efforts, and trusted information sources—and concluded the day by discussing what collective action could look like moving forward. 

Three Key Takeaways 

Based on the day’s discussions and a follow-up survey, three themes emerged. 

The Value of Connection and Collaboration

The forum affirmed the power of convening and provided space for longtime colleagues to reconnect and for new relationships to form. The room included advocates who focus on policy change as well as service providers working directly with students.  

One clear and shared priority emerged: a desire to bring the voices of direct service providers better into policy conversations. Those working directly with students bring critical, real-time insight into the barriers and issues students face. Advocates focused on policy have the expertise to navigate the channels through which change is made. Strengthening the bridge between practice and policy is essential to advancing effective solutions. 

A Need for Greater Organization and Information-Sharing

New York, and particularly New York City, has a vibrant ecosystem of organizations dedicated to supporting students. The abundance of coalitions, workgroups, and advocacy efforts can feel overwhelming, however. Participants expressed a desire for more structure and shared tools, including: 

• A centralized resource list of coalitions and working groups; 
• A resource bank of trusted informational sources; 
• A shared tracker of policy priorities and advocacy efforts; and 
• Coordination around key advocacy moments, such as Albany days. 

The collective appetite for better coordination signals a much-needed opportunity to coalesce resources, increase alignment, and strengthen impact. 

An Umbrella Structure Focused on Affordability

At the end of the day, there was consensus around the need for an umbrella structure to unite the field. Across the categories of priorities submitted, the shared goal is clear: students must be able to enroll in postsecondary education opportunities, complete their credential, enter the workforce, and access economic opportunity without being overwhelmed by costs or debt. 

With many existing groups focusing on specific issues, providing greater financial assistance and support to students who most need them is at the core of each goal. Every issue connects directly to affordability: 

• Access priorities include expanding New York’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and equitable dual enrollment programs to reduce financial barriers. Universal FAFSA implementation, high-quality advising, reducing discrimination, and ensuring inclusion of students from mixed immigration status families help ensure students can access the resources that make college financially possible. 

• State investment in college retention and completion programs—such as the Education Opportunity Program (EOP), Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP) and Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE)—provides financial and academic support to students. When students stop out, delayed completion adds costs and debt. If the student never returns, state and personal investments are lost. 

• Being able to meet one’s basic needs is as much a part of college affordability as covering tuition and fee costs. Food insecurity, housing instability, financial concerns, and mental health issues pose serious risks to student success. Emergency aid grants, free transportation, increasing access to public benefits, and other resources are fundamental needs for the most financially vulnerable New Yorkers. 

• Affordability extends beyond earning a postsecondary credential, as well: debt repayment cannot be burdensome. Federal and private loan oversight, preventing institutional debt from accruing in the first place, and strengthening student and borrower protections from harmful federal policy shifts are critical to the financial security and economic mobility of graduates. 

• Even issues that may initially seem adjacent—institutional accountability, a statewide longitudinal data system, workforce alignment, and student rights—ultimately circle back to affordability. Strong accountability prevents waste and protects students from predatory practices that leave them with debt—especially harmful for those who begin but do not earn a postsecondary credential of value. High-quality data systems enable better policymaking and resource allocation. Workforce alignment ensures that credentials lead to economic mobility.  

Focusing affordability as the foundation of all issues will help align strategies, elevate shared messaging, and grow support for specific issues while ensuring that New York’s higher education policy centers affordability. 

Looking Ahead

The convening made clear that New York’s advocacy community has the expertise and the energy to drive meaningful change for students. Now, the community needs deeper alignment, clearer coordination, and a shared strategy that centers affordability as the throughline across issues. 

We are grateful to our partners at Young Invincibles and uAspire and to every advocate who joined for the day. This convening was just the beginning. TICAS remains committed to working alongside advocates, direct service providers, and policy partners to strengthen student-centered policy in New York. By building trusted relationships and grounding our work in data, lived experience, and equity, we can advance policies that ensure all students—especially those historically underserved—have a real opportunity to access and graduate from college without burdensome debt.